The icon set in Windows 10 is inconsistent

Jan 27, 2015 09:09 GMT  ·  By

The icon theme of an operating system has more importance than people might imagine. Microsoft has updated the icons for the latest Windows 10 preview and they actually look terrible and they lack consistency. We listed a few Linux ones for a better comparison.

The design decisions of the Windows team have always been questionable and it's clear that the interface is not really a priority for them. They usually care more about features and options, which is actually a good thing, but if you want to have a successful, easy-to-use, and fun OS you need the entire package.

The problem is that Windows users can't really do anything about it. In Windows 8.1, for example, it wasn't possible to change the icons, although that feature was present in Windows 7. You needed third-party apps to do it, but at least it was possible.

Icon themes need consistency

No one is disputing the quality of the work they've put into the icons, but the biggest problem is the consistency, which is all over the place. And it's not just about the colors, it's about the shape and even the size of some of the icons. They basically seem to be from different icon packs and they were just mushed together.

We've added a few Linux icon packs for comparison, like Moka, Numix GTK, Nitrux, Faience, Faenza, Uniform, or Dalisha. These are just a few of the icon sets available out there and there are a lot more. Some of them are completely flat, others are not.

The point is that users are able to choose and they can change them with a click of a button. It might not seem like much, but if you're working eight hours a day, five days a week, you might feel the need from time to time to change the default icons and try something new. And that's not possible on Windows.

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Windows 10 icons
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